Allanite Property Prospect

1953Explorations for uraninite was taken place when a company by the name of Stratmat, Limited had staked this property. The whole entire prospect area was reported to have consisted of Lots 1 to 3, and the North half of Lot 4, in concession XIV, and the south halves of Lots 2 and 3, in Concession XV of Cardiff Township, Halliburton County. A showing of Allanite was reported to have been made on the north half of lot 2, within concession XVI. Much of the showing was now being explored by Scintillometer, magnetometer surveying, trenching, and diamond drilling. Diamond drilling within this time period had consisted of three holes, totalling 985 feet.

1954Prospecting of the property continued when Scintillometer Reconnaissance was being conducted over the areas to check the continuity of several anomalies indicated in the 1953 surveying. Explorations also continued on the main Allanite Zone when six diamond drill holes, totalling 1,728 feet were completed. Much of the showings are considered to be on the northwest face of the hills that consists of syenite gneiss. The Gneiss is considered to have a strike of 50 degrees northwest, and dips 45 degrees southeast. Further examinations had stated that the older rock formation is commonly made up of amphibolite, and paragneiss. Some more statements indicated that the amphibolite group is known to consist of Hornblende Plagioclase gneiss. These dark gneisses occur interbanded with yellow-brown, grey, and pink syenite gneisses, and in places, the sedimentary gneisses are feldspathized. The introduction of potash feldspar gives the amphibolites and paragneisses a pink color, and these metasediments are gradually converted to hybrid syenite gneiss by the process of potash metasomatism . Massive veins of allanite occur in pink pyroxenic syenite and syenite pegmatite. Allanite occurs in massive veins with pyroxene, and as a constituent of syenite, syenite pegmatite, and granite pegmatite.

On the northwest face of the hill three long trenches, from 80 to 140 feet in length and located 50 feet apart, expose the allanite-bearing zone. The main allanite showing is in a pit 35 feet long and 20 feet wide. In this pit an allanite-rich pyroxene syenite pegmatite, running 60 percent allanite, is exposed over a width of 6 feet. Above this there is a 5-foot band of pink hornblende syenite and magne tite-bearing leuco-syenite. Above this, in a 5-foot band of hybrid syenite gneiss, there are two veins composed of calcite-fluorite-apatite-allanite-pyroxene-feldspar and sulphides that appear to be later than the allanite syenite pegmatite since they cut the pegmatite. In the upper 15 feet of this trench, pink hornblende syenite gneiss, pink leuco-syenite, amphibolite, and allanite syenite pegmatite are exposed. One band of allanite-bearing syenite pegmatite has a width of 3 feet.

Much of the allanite zone consists of coarsely crystalline allanite up to 6 inches in size in a red aplitic syenite matrix. Much of the red feldspar is plagioclase. Pyroxene occurs intergrown with the allanite. Black mica and zircon were noted in the allanite pegmatite, but mica is rare.

Diamond-drill holes Nos. l, 3, 7, and 6, and the surface exposure in the main trench indicate an allanite zone dipping 55 degrees southeast., with an average width of 8 feet. This width includes barren bands of syenite gneiss, the amount of allanite present ranging from 10 to 40 percent. The strike of the zone in holes No. l and 2 is 30 degrees northeast., and the zone has been traced for 200 feet.

About 500 feet northeast of the main showing there is a stripping 20 by 30 feet in size that exposes pink fluorite-allanite granite pegmatite. Here the allanite occurs as crystals up to 3 or 4 inches long as an accessory mineral of the pegmatite. The syenitic gneisses that form the hill are underlain by crystalline limestone. This limestone band was picked up in diamond-drilling.